The Intergenerational Transmission of Noncognitive Skills and Their Effect on Education and Employment Outcomes

42 Pages Posted: 11 Jul 2015 Last revised: 25 Aug 2015

See all articles by Ildefonso Mendez

Ildefonso Mendez

University of Murcia - Department of Applied Economics

Gema Zamarro

University of Arkansas - Department of Education Reform; Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: June 1, 2015

Abstract

We use information on second-generation migrants to study the existence of a cultural component on the formation process of noncognitive skills and its effect on education and employment outcomes. Our measures of noncognitive skills include: personality traits that children are encouraged to learn and civic capital. Individuals whose cultural heritage places a lower value on child qualities positively associated to the conscientiousness personality factor report lower education, worse occupational status and lower wages on average. Individuals with a higher inherited civic capital declare a higher educational level, but we find no effect of civic capital on adult labor market outcomes.

Keywords: culture, civic capital, child qualities, non-cognitive skills, education, employment

JEL Classification: I2, J24, Z1

Suggested Citation

Mendez, Ildefonso and Zamarro, Gema, The Intergenerational Transmission of Noncognitive Skills and Their Effect on Education and Employment Outcomes (June 1, 2015). CESR-Schaeffer Working Paper No. 2015-015, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2628783 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2628783

Ildefonso Mendez (Contact Author)

University of Murcia - Department of Applied Economics ( email )

3010 Murcia
Spain

Gema Zamarro

University of Arkansas - Department of Education Reform ( email )

201 Graduate Education Building
Fayetteville, AR 72701
United States

Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) ( email )

635 Downey Way
Los Angeles, CA 90089-3332
United States

HOME PAGE: http://works.bepress.com/gema_zamarro/

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